Nutrition & Body Image

Objective: To empower, educate, and support students about food, nutrition and body image that promotes optimal health, well-being and academic success. A weight-neutral, culturally sensitive and inclusive approach is emphasized, as well as the importance of access to safe and affordable foods.

Individual Nutrition Education Sessions

(For Students Only)
These are free, non-medical, confidential, available on Mondays/Wednesdays – 50 minutes. Common topics to discuss with our Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) may include:

  • Sports nutrition
  • Concerns about food, dieting and body image
  • Vegetarian/vegan advice
  • Supplements
  • Mindful eating
  • Digestive health
  • Healthy eating on a budget
  • Weight management

For nutrition-related medical issues that require Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) like eating disorders, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, PCOS or digestive disorders please call UCI Student Health Center at 949-824-5301. You will need to schedule an appointment with a Primary Care Physician who can then refer you to a dietitian. Please visit https://shc.uci.edu/services/specialties/nutrition for further details and any questions related to medical insurance coverage for nutrition. For any other nutrition-related questions, please call 949-824-9688.

To request an appointment for a Nutrition Education Session, please email Jody Margolis, MS, RDN (margolj1@uci.edu).  Please note email isn’t a secure form of communication and should not include protected health information (PHI) like medical conditions.

Group Nutrition Education Sessions

(For Students/Staff/Faculty)
Quick Bites  – a 30 min. drop-in, live-virtual workshop series on hot topics in nutrition to build your  knowledge and critical thinking and separate fact from fiction (offered weeks 3, 5 and 7 every quarter. Past topics included: Plant-Based Milks, meat alternatives, fad dieting, mindful eating, etc.

Group Body Image Sessions

(For Students Only)
Body Talk – a 45 min. drop-in, live-virtual workshop led by Body Image Peer Health Educators (trained by our RDN) to promote a healthy relationship to your body. Sessions may include discussion/activities on body image and social media, journaling, fad diet dangers, and healthy relationships.

Check our website and follow us on social media for up-to-date information on dates/times and Zoom links for joining any of the above group sessions. May be held in person if able with Covid-19 precautions.

Workshops

Are you interested in scheduling a fun and interactive workshop for a group of 25 or more on nutrition? Fill out the workshop request form here. Additionally, you may email studentwellness@uci.edu for more information about our Health & Wellness Workshops.

Media

What is Diet Quality?

Reading The New Food Label

Fad Diets: Fact or Fiction?

Helpful Links

Online Tools & Assessments

Resources

UCOP Healthier Vending Initiative

Campus Partners

Campus-Affiliated Programs:

  • UCI Health Weight Management Program (student discount) – Lose weight fast and build healthier routines that last with HMR® (Health Management Resources), a clinically proven diet and lifestyle-change program designed to help people who want to lose a lot of weight. More than just a diet, all-inclusive HMR plans also provide the education, support and accountability to help you make — and keep — healthier habits.
  • UCI Health Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute – The Samueli Institute, in partnership with the College of Health Sciences and UCI Health, is committed to reimagining the future of healthcare by pioneering an interdisciplinary, evidenced-based, integrative approach to health and wellness. Access to classes, clinical services, and education and research.